Alan Kefauver likes to go fast. The director of the
recording arts program at
Peabody
Conservatory has always preferred sporty cars for his
daily driving: a Cobra, an Alfa, a 1968 Volvo P-1800S. But
about three years ago, he decided to take his passion for
speed off the road and onto the track. He bought a 1991
Ford Mustang for $1,000 and began rebuilding it as a
racecar in his garage. The result is pictured here, car no.
4, racing in the National Auto Sport Association's American
Iron series. "My son picked the color," Kefauver says.
"He's 14."

Kefauver didn't grow up working on cars. "I'm one of those
guys who reads a book about something and then has a
tendency to do it," he says. "It makes my wife crazy. She
never knows what I'm going to do next." He spent several
years attending driving schools and qualifying for his
competition license before participating in the American
Iron series — eight races, held from March through
October, on tracks in Virginia, West Virginia, and the
Carolinas. "At this point, my goal is to finish the races.
The last race I completed, I was in the top eight, but that
was because cars nine through 12 didn't finish," he says,
adding, "I'm 58, and a lot of these guys are in their 20s.
Their reflexes are a lot quicker."

Kefauver can reach speeds of 140 mph on the straightaway,
then must brake down to 25 for the corners. "The hardest is
being consistent and smooth. You have to hit the apex of
the turn the same every time."

His son Alex, who has attended classes at Hopkins' Center
for Talented Youth, helped build the car and accompanies
his dad to the races, working as a mechanic. Is Kefauver
ever scared? "Oh, yes. When an accident happens in front of
you at 100 miles per hour, you're on it real quick. You
have to train yourself to react but not panic, and do the
right thing."— Dale Keiger